1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an imaging apparatus, and particularly relate to an imaging apparatus that is mounted on a moving body, such as, for example, a vehicle, and that is configured to image surroundings of the moving body.
2. Description of the Related Art
For this type of apparatus, there is proposed, for example, an apparatus configured to change position coordinates of an image area, which is in an image photographed or imaged by an in-vehicle camera, on the basis of at least one of a change in position of the in-vehicle camera and a change in an optical axis direction of the in-vehicle camera if the image area includes a maladaptive area in which image processing cannot be performed due to overexposure or underexposure (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2013-160895 (Patent Literature 1)). There is also proposed an apparatus that is configured to set a processing area in an image portion of a driving road surface between a host vehicle and an obstacle in an photographed image, in accordance with a position of the obstacle, a vehicle speed of the host vehicle, and a lane shape, and that is configured to calculate a next exposure amount of an imaging apparatus (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H10-066060 (Patent Literature 2)). There is also proposed an apparatus that is configured to set a first reference area in an imaging area of an imaging apparatus and that is configured to adjust an exposure amount of the imaging apparatus in accordance with luminance of the first reference area, wherein if an obstacle is detected in the first reference area, a second reference area is set to adjust the exposure amount of the imaging apparatus in accordance with luminance of the second reference area (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2013-168737 (Patent Literature 3)).
This type of apparatus is often used to detect an obstacle, a lane, or the like, and it is desired to appropriately image a road surface. If an area expectedly including a road surface portion in a photographed image, like the first reference area in the Patent Literature 3, is set as a non-variable image area, then, for example, when a road has relatively large ups and downs, or when the road has a relatively complicated shape, an object other than a road surface (e.g. a building, a street tree, the sky, etc.) is included the image area, and exposure adjustment may not be appropriately performed. If an image area for the exposure adjustment is set on the basis of the position change and the optical axis direction change of the camera, as in a technique/technology described in the Patent Literature 1, or after the obstacle and the lane are detected, as in a technique/technology described in the Patent Literature 2, then, it possibly takes a relatively long time to obtain an appropriate exposure amount.